416Stroker ELR Rifle Cartridge with Ryan Cheney
In this drag racing, ELR world of fast & furious cartridges, finding ones that are also as consistent as they are fast is an ongoing process. We hooked up with Ryan Cheney, an ELR competitor with big titles to his name to help us understand more about it. Ryan had a 4134yd impact in light division, longest impact in light class, placed 2nd place at king of 2 miles in 2021 and 1st place at king of 1 mile in 2024.
Ryan Cheney is also coming to Extreme Shot Italia V, Global Edition in Trapani Sicily so stay tuned to see him live in action on the other side of the pond. Ryan is also the guy that created the airfoil bag, a rear bag used in ELR with a pump to assist shooters in getting the correct rear elevation on their rifle setup. We had the pleasure of meeting Ryan Cheney while in France at Ko2M event with Harry Drescher from Solid solution designs.
1. What inspired the development of the .416 Stroker ELR Rifle Cartridge, and how does it differentiate itself from other .416 caliber cartridges, such as the .416 Barrett or .416 vestal?
Jessie Cook designed the 416 Stroker ELR Cartridge so I just messaged him the question and here is his answer.
“I originally designed it because I wanted a 416 caliber but every match that I went to I saw people with 416 Barretts that were struggling with stuck cases overpressure rounds and inconsistency. My thought was if I had a smaller case that was full almost all the way to the top with powder, it would be more consistent. My other thought was since it’s such a small case and a big bullet I shouldn’t have any problems with more pressure?
Brass was another consideration. I know that it’s hard to get good quality brass for a 416 Barrett and easy to get good quality Cheytac brass. Basically the reason why I developed it are the differences between it and the 416 Barrett and after development I found out that all of my assumptions were in fact true. Regarding the 416 Vestal I’m not sure because that came out after my cartridge.”
NOTICE:
For those of you coming TO EXTREME SHOT ITALIA V, 4-12 OCTOBER IN TRAPANI, SICILY, note that heavy class will shoot to 2600meters/2900yards!
2. Can you provide an overview of the design and specifications of the .416 Stroker?
Its made from 408 Cheytac brass, just with a 35 degree improved shoulder. Imagine a 416 Cheytac Improved, that’s the Stroker. (see attached image comparing the 408 Cheytac to the Stroker)
3. What are the key performance metrics of the cartridge (muzzle velocity and effective range) compared to similar alternatives? My understanding is that most ELR cartridges go transonic around 2200-2400m.
I am shooting the 500 grain Cutting Edge Lazers at about 2915 fps, so in nominal weather they go subsonic about 2300 yards. Of course with the Cutting Edge Lazers the transonic/subsonic zone doesn’t matter because they transition so well.
4. What sort of match barrel life would you expect with the 416 stroker and who makes the best 416 barrels for such a project? In your view how many rounds are needed to run a 416stroker barrel in to stabilise for match performance?
I know that Joe Kaiser had 2000 rounds on his a couple years back and it still shot fantastic. With regular maintenance it should last a long time.
Below watch Ryan Cheney in Action…
5. What powder charge would you load for a 416 stroker and how does it vary over a 416 Barrett? I think this is a key point here.
The Stroker holds roughly 145 grains of powder, where the Barrett is closer to 185 grains.
6. How does the .416 Stroker handle barrel wear and throat erosion in comparison to other extreme long-range calibers? Any specific propellant you are successfully using with this cartridge?
[editor: Most of our EU readers get Vihtavuori while Americans get almost everything with Hodgdon being a favourite i believe.]So far my Stroker has seemed to handle wear better than the 375 Cheytac’s I ran in the past. It cleans easily and the fire cracking is minimal for the amount of rounds down the pipe. I used to use IMR 8133, but it got discontinued, currently I’m using Vihtavuori powders N568 for the 416Stroker and it works great, the burn rate is very similar to 8133.
7. What are the optimal projectile weights for the .416 Stroker, and what supersonic range would this cartridge offer?
500 grain is nominal in my opinion. You could run 550s, but you will be sacrificing a lot of muzzle velocity for a minimal gain in BC. 500 grain Lazers stay supersonic to about 2300 yards in cool Kansas air, and 2500 yards in the heat of the summer. In Raton NM at King of 2 Miles, I can expect them to stay supersonic to 2900 yards in the thinner mountain air.
8. How does it perform in varying environmental conditions, such as extreme heat or cold, in terms of consistency and accuracy? I know you’re in Kansas so maybe extreme cold is not something you contend with 🙂
We get extreme cold here but I’m not out shooting in it, that’s for sure. I’ve tested N568 in cool weather and the heat of the summer and in the Stroker being a compressed load (I drop powder down a 10″ drop tube as well), there is very little powder temp sensitivity. I run the same powder in my 33xc and it’s not a compressed load and I get a lot more speed variance. In any cartridge if you are getting powder temp speed variations, be sure to research the weather of where you are traveling to, to shoot, and try to replicate those conditions to get your speed back to what your rifle likes. I’ve seen too many fellow competitors travel with a load that was developed in hotter or cooler weather then they have issues the day of the match.
9. What specific role does it fill in the world of extreme long-range shooting competitions and practical applications?
In my opinion it fills a void between the 375Cheytacs and the 416Barretts, and one of the most important points is having access to brass that’s excellent and readily attainable.
10. Are there specific rifle actions or barrel manufacturers that work best with the .416 Stroker?
I am partial to Pierce as I have 2 of their 10x actions, and they have always been flawless and fantastic, and of course I only run Bartlein barrels, it’s just a fantastic combo.
Above: Ryan Cheney at the Zero Range in France where we first met him. Ryan was very friendly and eager to tell us about his ELR experiences, reloading details as well as what can be improved in ELR.
11. What reloading components (brass, primers, powders, projectiles) are recommended, and are they readily available?
I run Peterson 408 cheytac brass that I run a .415″ mandrel through, then just fire form while breaking it in. It actually shoots great, fire forming. I run Federal 215M primers, N568 powder and 500 grain CE Lazers. Everything is readily available in the states, I have even seen 215M primers in stock a couple times a week online. [editor: the fact that you don’t need 50BMG primers is a big deal, they can be hard to get especially RUAG or RWS] [editor: Ryan’s zeroing target at ko1m France. He quickly drilled the bottom target with 4 rounds and was done with his zeroing. I snapped a picture to see how well his rig was shooting in a different location 🙂 ]
13. What has been the reception of the .416 Stroker among the ELR community so far? Have any notable competitions or records been set with this cartridge?
It’s been well received, it has won many matches over the few years it’s been around. I don’t believe a Stroker has won Ko2M or anything, but they have won Spearpoint many times, and they are always typically in the upper 1/3rd of the roster.
Below: A heavy gun class 460Steyr from Jay Dvorsky, one of the largest rounds you can run in heavy class exceeding 200grains of powder. It will easily drive a 600gr bullet past 3200ft/s, think of it as the 33XC of the big bore club.
14. If money were no concern Ryan, what would be your cartridge of choice in a 50lbs rifle setup?
Honestly probably the Stroker. I don’t ever plan to build a Barrett bolt face rifle. Honestly it’s the bigger more expensive primers that turn me off, and the added recoil. I love the minimal recoil of the Stroker, I can get back on target and spot my impacts or misses so easily. I also love the 40 grains less powder, the Peterson brass that’s fantastic, cheap and easy to find, barrels that last a long time, it’s just a well rounded combo.
Below: Paul Phillips at ko2M France zeroing their big 416Barrett with Drew Besonson while Ryan was running his 33XC.
15. What’s the difference between a 416 stroker and a 416 hellfire?
The hellfire and stroker have the same bolt face, but the hellfire is a little longer. The extra capacity allows you to utilize H50bmg powder which many believe is better than any of the Vihtavuori powders, and you can get about the same speed out of a 550 grain projectile that the Stroker can from a 500. The problem with the 416Hellfire is the brass.
It’s only made by Bertram and from what I understand they can no longer import into the US.
In my opinion you always build a rifle around the brass you have in your hand, it’s really the most important component.
